1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to computer application simulations, and more specifically, the invention relates to a method, system and computer software program for translating computer application simulations into a plurality of languages.
2. Background Art
Simulations are produced in the software industry for product tutorials and marketing presentations. These simulations are useful for demonstrating a product and teaching how to use specific features in a product. Currently, software simulations are developed with labor-intensive techniques. One production technique uses a video camera to film screen images produced as an experienced user physically steps through a software procedure. After filming the entire procedure, the video tape may be edited to add captions and/or a sound narrative.
The edited video tape of the simulation is typically digitized into an animation format file that is distributed to prospective users of the product, or included with the software product to teach new users about and how to use the software product. When included with the software product, the animation is often accessed as a tutorial option under a Help menu topic. The animation file can be distributed alone or as part of a software product on various digital media such as floppy disks or CD-ROMs, and can be transmitted over networks, as is often done when used as part of a “demo” of a product.
Another way for simulations to be created, and this is quite common in the market today, is to have an application that runs in the background and monitors an experienced user's interactions with the software being simulated. Those interactions are saved as a combination of ASCII script files and as the digital images of the screen changes.
Another common simulation production technique is to create a separate software program that simulates a particular software product. In this case, the separate software program automatically steps through an entire procedure of the software product to be simulated. This separate software simulation program could be written in the language “C” or some other suitable high-level language. However, significant technical expertise is required to author a separate software simulation program, and changes to the program can only be made by a highly skilled computer programmer.
A significant problem in the creation of a tutorial simulation arises in connection with producing simulations for software products distributed in foreign countries. When software is sold internationally, simulations must be produced not only for English language customers, but for different foreign language customers as well. Previous methods require filming a separate tutorial in each foreign language such as German, French, Italian, and Spanish, in which the product will be marketed. Consequently, considerable costs are incurred when a simulation is produced that will be associated with a software product intended for international distribution.
For example, one type of application simulation development process involves a content developer taking a capture, or a series of screen images, of an application and then adding text to the simulation to provide instruction, direction, and feedback. Obviously, the application is in a specific language and the added text is most often in the same language.
Often times an application simulation scenario is to be delivered not only with the added text in different languages, but also with the actual capture (i.e. the screen images) in different languages. For example, an application may have the options on file menu, dialog text, and messages in multiple languages. To deliver simulations of the multi-application, two completely different captures must be made and the text elements added to each with the text in different languages.
One typical process for delivering simulations of multi-language applications is as follows:    1) Capture the application in language X,    2) Add text elements,    3) Capture the application in language Y,    4) Manually copy all elements, but especially the text elements, from the capture in language X to the capture in language Y,    5) Export the text elements from the capture in language Y to a form that can be translated, and    6) Import the translated text, now in language Y, into the capture in language Y.
Steps 3) through 6) have to be repeated for every additional language to be supported. Step 4), where a content developer has to go through the simulation screen by screen and copy elements from one capture to another, is extremely time consuming. Elimination of this step in the process would be highly desirable.